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It’s way too cold in Toronto for my liking. Let’s warm up with music filled with love and sunshine!

When I Open My Eyes – Lambs Become Lions

“Maybe this band becomes our lives. Maybe we play every city we can get to. Maybe we make tons of hopefully great music videos. Maybe we move on to new adventures. Maybe we don’t. For now, it’s all about this music.”

Words every band should live by, be driven by. This is how I found myself shaking proverbial hands with St. Catherines-based band Lambs Become Lions and their sophomore release, Clear Eyes, Full Hearts, Can’t Lose. What keeps me returning is the soaring promise of the silver-lined hooks and the confessional truths of their carefully crafted lyrics. Then again, it shouldn’t be surprising, given the band’s pedigree: featuring talent drawn from the likes of Alexisonfire and Journey to Aspen, Lambs Become Lions have seen the music industry’s disheartening side and have cast off its shackles to return to the art and its joy. The opener of their EP, “When I Open My Eyes” is folk-pop artistry evoking Edwin McCain, a love song of earnest truth and devotion. Incredibly catchy and polished, yet not overly saccharine.

Toronto band The Honeyrunners evoke what I feel would happen if Blind Melon and the Blues Brothers had a wild, raucous party and emerged parents of musically-inclined children with a love of Stevie Wonder circa “Superstitious”. Bluesy grit, hook-heavy pop and a little twist of church-blessed harmonies come together in a hip-shaking tune that evokes a late summer beach party. I’m warmer already!

And now we’re at that beach party in my mind, let’s break out the acoustic guitar and gather around the bonfire and watch sparks fly between young lovers, courtesy of Crowns For Convoy. Theirs is a tasty, folk-tinged rock, melodic and heavily layered in acoustic guitars. Sprawling jams within tracks and a soulful funk undercurrent remind one of Dave Matthews Band. It’s a sound that evokes nostalgia, not in the sense of dated music, but in the familiarity of home.

You can check out all three of this week’s picks at Canadian Music Week, because yes, the fest is that awesome. OTM, in partnership with 2020k, will be hosting a massive Canadian Music Week giveaway, featuring some of our favourite artists. With multiple prize packs and Twitter giveaways coming, bestfollow on Twitter nowand stay tuned for our profiles and interviews with the best of the fest! Lucky listeners of The Green Majority, get ready for a blitz of Canada’s finest and perhaps a special giveaway just for you.